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Tuesday, October 27, 2015

Semtex Comment On The Uddin Case : "Is It Really What The Public Wants
Mr Daniels?"

This of course, is the reality of what our trade continue to scream about ! Who would you think is to blame for this tragic outcome ?

The illegal mini cab tout Matab Uddin who despite previous convictions for touting in the past, had reoffended and caused this tragic waste of a young man's life ? The Police, for their service who notoriously and generally list mini cab touting as a low priority crime, and therefore respond with inadequate legal enforcement ? The fatally injured Oliver Farrell himself, for knowingly getting into a vehicle that had not been legally hailed or pre-booked, and opting for a more dangerous and sadly fatal option ? Or Transport For London themselves, for continually failing to provide vigilant enforcement for the compliance of the licences that they sell like toffee apples from a market stall ?

In this sobering case, it appears that Uddin was an unlicensed tout, and therefore the very virtue that he had no licence to comply with in the first place, would legally exonerate TFL.

I believe that TFL, The Police Service and indeed the public themselves, should all take a portion of blame what has occurred here.

I also believe that with the massive influx of zero professionally trained drivers such as Uber, these incidents will be on the rise.

I have always said that it is only when fatalities occur, that the authorities will take notice.

As a family man with kids of Oliver Farrell's age, I can naturally imagine what heartbreak, devastation and eternal grief this death will cause his poor family.

But unless TFL, and the Police Service who constantly display a blasé unprofessional enforcement deployment attitude to mini cab touting, start to up their game, serious consequences such as these will be regular.

As for the travelling public who repeatedly accuse the professionally trained London Taxi Trade of being too expensive............I would bet my life on it that the grief suffering family of Oliver Farrell, would have paid anything to turn back the clocks, and seen their loved one hail down the world famous yellow light of a Professional, Safe, London Taxi Driver on that fateful night.

As I have said a million times before, you pays your money and takes your choice. If you want cheap and ill trained, then go ahead and roll the dice with your Uber ride. Its your choice, your decision and your pulse you are risking, nobody else's.

The London Black Cab Trade haven't lasted 400 years because we are too expensive. We have survived the ebbs and flows of economic turmoil simply because the yellow light on top of our cabs represents fairness, expertise, soundness, safety, reliability and platinum standard professionalism.

London is awash with illegally touting mini cabs every night of every week of every month. The harm that it is causing isn't just a tragedy to the reputation and image of our once great capital city, it is incredibly dangerous and an inherent failure to protect our travelling public.

Leon Daniels once replied to our concerns by saying "it's what the public wants."

Is it really Mr Daniels ? I wonder if Oliver Farrell's family would agree with that this morning ?

8 comments:

Brian
said...

A superb, pertinent & poignant article. The best I've read on this site.This should be required reading for No. 10, the Mayor and everyone at tfl.I'd like to think that whatever brazen face they present in public, after reading this they would at least be privately ashamed.

It's worse than even Semtex portrays it, streets flooded with PH that now have the cloak of respectability of a roundel behind tinted glass!

Last week I was on rank and heard one punter tell his mate 'wave down a Prius, you can do a deal', my old mum ( and no doubt thousands of others) thinks Pedicabs are legal as she concludes 'if they are illegal , someone would have stopped them', well City of London do but TfL can't!

He chose to use a tout - I'm quite sure he knew what a tout was. He got in a car with a complete stranger, isn't this something that children are repeatedly told not to do ? Its a tragic end to an irresponsible persons life. Do the public want this ? YES they do, especially when they're under the influence. Children make mistakes, irresponsible adults don't; they make decisions!

If TFL are bringing in £43 million in license fees from the well over 100,000 vehicles they license - precisely where is the money being spent and where is the enforcement? For that kind of money there should be enforcement action every week.

Can't believe. The young drunk girls in mini skirts sitting in front with some of these dirty looking third world T B ridden hardly able to speak English uber and mini cab drivers ,, all to save a couple of quid , also Pedicabs should also have a warning on them stating they are uninsured and your placing your self and family at risk .... I would be ashamed to be a police officer in this anything goes lawless city....

The mini cab culture has been created by the authorities: The police, local councils and TFL. Very few people go out to have a good time; they go out to get trashed - the authorities see PH as as quick fix to remove drunken louts off the streets. What happens during the process is well known now as collateral damage. London needs a Mayor of conviction, unfortunately it's not going to happen. Giuliany's in this country are as rare as rocking horse shit. If only we had a Tony Abbott as Prime Minister!

Phv driver I'm good honest hard working Londoner, good knowledge , clean licence ,4x discs and pads on the car this week 2x BRAND new(not part worn crap tyres last week, but TFL don't want me , 100000 minicabs in london , every decent honest driver being pushed out of this game by TFL ,, what is going on??? ... Can't wait to find a job and cut up this so called licence .....